Avengers Prompt Challenge
by Wordsplat
Summary: Short prompts written for The Avengers couples, mainly TonyxSteve, some ClintxNatasha. On-going and accepting prompt requests, but each prompt is complete as posted.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: If you ever have any Avenger prompts for me, one word or even full fledged story ideas, I'd love to add another chapter :)

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Avengers Prompt Challenge**  
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**Stride**

She strides into the room, all sleek grace and unwavering confidence, and instantly Clint is back in high school, praying for the popular girl to look his way just once.

**Age**

Steve is physically young and mentally old, Tony is physically old and mentally young; it balances them in a way that keeps them both at their best.

**History**

For a long time, the conversation about their respective dating histories was less of a conversation and more of an argument bordering on a fist-fight.

Steve's relationship with Peggy was left raw and open-ended, and though he cares for Tony with all he is, the lack of closure with Peggy still haunts him. Tony's own dating history is more convoluted. There's a trail of women after Tony Stark a mile wide, but none of them hold any importance to him. Their unimportance nags at Steve the way Peggy's importance nags at Tony; Steve doesn't like the idea that Tony could dismiss them, and perhaps him, so easily while Tony, child that he is, wants Steve's heart entirely to himself.

They clash over the subject for a while, as they often do, until eventually it comes to a head with Steve demanding to know what Tony's problem is, and Tony demanding to know if Steve loved Peggy. Steve shouts, perhaps louder than necessary, why Tony's so damn concerned about his first love when all that matters is that Tony is his last.

After that night, the topic of their respective dating histories isn't an issue.

**Workaholic**

For reasons still unclear, Tony once almost worked himself into the ground. He was already a workaholic, but for nearly three months after the Avengers fifth mission, Tony did nothing but work. He stayed in his workshop nearly 24/7; he stopped eating and sleeping, pausing in his work only to have another cup of coffee.

Though they all tried to get him out of the workshop in their own ways, it was Steve that never gave up. He shouted, argued, cajoled, threatened, even begged once, but Tony refused to even let him in. After a week, Steve took the door off it's hinges, dropped a sandwich on Tony's workstation, and left without a word. Tony was surprised, but resolutely refused to eat it. He reinforced the door, but nonetheless, Steve removed it again to repeat his food drop-off the next day. Steve began bringing him one every day, still without a word, and eventually Tony caved and ate. After the second week, Steve quietly asked him to get some sleep when he dropped off his daily sandwich. Though Tony likes to think that to this day Steve doesn't know, and Steve has himself never said a word, seeing Tony asleep at his worktable later that night was the moment Steve fell in love with him.

It took many weeks after that and many missed Avengers meetings, but Steve finally got fed up. He himself missed a meeting-an action that caused even Fury to raise a surprised eyebrow-and spent the hour in a shouting match with Tony until at last they got to the point. Tony snarked about why Steve would give a shit anyway, and Steve lowered his voice and admitted that the Avengers didn't feel right without Iron Man...and that Steve didn't feel right being in it without Tony.

That was the first time Tony kissed Steve.

**Gentle**

At first, gentle is the last word Steve, or anyone else, would ever consider describing Tony as. Impulsive, condescending and brash all come to mind-but not gentle.

Then Steve is poisoned.

It's for him and him alone, designed to work the super soldier serum out of his system completely. For nearly two weeks, Steve is in complete agony. His body rebels against him; he doesn't heal like he used to, he can hardly move, and his muscles begin to wither away. He's becoming the scrawny weakling he once was, and if the pain wasn't killing him the thought of what was happening to him would.

For two long, agonizing weeks, Tony never leaves his side.

Not when Steve wakes up screaming, visions of Bucky falling from the train racing through his mind on replay. Not when he spasms for hours and has to be restrained, so violently is the poison taking over his system. Not even when he punches Tony in the face for waking him, convinced for a moment that the figure leaning over him is there to push him underwater, hold him there until the ice settles in his veins and freezes him to his very core. Tony remains by Steve's side, not even leaving to treat his surely broken nose.

Through everything, Tony stays. Talking softly and stroking his forehead, murmuring nonsense, anything to make Steve feel better, calmer, safer until the fever breaks. When Steve is demented with fever, Tony is a rock; solid and perpetual, the one thing Steve can grab hold of as the fever threatens to drag him under. Once the fever fades and Steve's mind returns, it's Tony that begins to fray at the edges.

In a rare moment, Steve is lucid and awake while Tony has crashed. His head rests against Steve's chest, his chair pulled as close as it can be. Steve examines him. His face is haggard, his hair disheveled, and in place of his usual clean, neat suit are jeans and an old shirt. Though he's sleeping at the moment, he still looks so tired. The man seems completely broken down, as if he had been beaten, dragged to Steve's bedside and left there slumped over like a rag doll. Steve supposes he looks the same. He rests a hand on Tony's, and the man blinks awake. He looks startled a moment, clearly having fallen asleep by accident, before he sighs softly, squeezing Steve's hand in return. With tired humor, Steve tells Tony he should get some real sleep, the in-a-bed kind. Tony says nothing, but graces him with a tired smile that tells Steve very clearly that Tony isn't going anywhere.

In that moment, there's no word but gentle to describe one Tony Stark.

**Orders **

Tony Stark does not take orders well.

He's always been a lone wolf; not a follower, not a leader, but a man of his own direction. Then in comes Steve Rogers. All-american, righteous super soldier Captain America, the only subject that could ever get his father to speak at length to him. Now here he was, in the highly toned flesh, walking in with confidence and power radiating from every angle. Tony immediately took a disliking to him. At first, it was simply for being all his father had boasted of and more. Then, after a few days with the man, it was his actual personality that drove him up the wall; if he heard one more indignant, prissy speech about honor and trust and the all-american way from that boy scout he was going to punch the self-righteous bastard in the face.

Things did get better between them, but they'll probably never stop having problems completely. And yet, in spite of their arguments and even their outright fistfights, Steve remains the only person Tony has ever taken a direct order from.

**Touch**

Steve was a toucher. Though Tony was the one most would pin for the PDA enthusiast-and perhaps it was true he was more likely to make a scene of it-Steve was the one who felt a need to touch. Not in a sexual way, and not even always in a particularly intimate way; he just liked to be in contact with Tony. Perhaps being in the ice so long had left Steve partial to warm things, and Tony's perpetual warmth was appealing. Regardless of reason, Steve was always connected to Tony in some way, his head resting on Tony's chest, his arm around Tony's shoulders or waist, holding Tony's hand whenever he could.

**Wait **

Steve waits for Tony to make the first move, because he can't imagine that Mr. Tony genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist Stark would want anything to do with a bumbling, idiot kid from Brooklyn.

Tony waits for Steve to make the first move, because he can't imagine that the wholesome, all-american Captain of the free world would want anything to do with a broken alcoholic hiding in an iron suit.

**Baby**

"I am _not _robbing the cradle, Banner, technically, he's nearly 60 years older than I am."

**Ruin **

When Clint begins to suggest-through extended eye contact, emotionally intimate conversations, and excessive cuddliness, even for Barton-that he wants more than just casual sex from her, she balks. Though a small, hidden, locked-down part of her will always love the man who knows her better than anyone alive or dead, Natasha knows that there is no scenario where they are a happy ending.

**Teddy Bear **

Tony was reluctant to cuddle at first. His parents had never been affectionate, and his only two friends had been Rhodey and Pepper; Rhodey laid a hand on his shoulder maybe, Pepper a pat on the back, but both were aware that touchy-feely physical contact made him jumpy and had never breached that boundary.

Steve had been different; Tony had _wanted _to touch Steve. In the kinky sense, sure, but also in those old-fashioned ways Steve liked. The hand-holding, the hugging, all those sappy little things that made Steve happy...that, it turned out, made _Tony _happy.

When Steve puts his arm over Tony's shoulder on movie night and Tony tucks himself into Steve, resting his head on the larger man's chest, he has to wonder how Steve managed to turn him into a teddy bear.

**Scar **

Tony is a vain man, so getting a small scar underneath his eye in the Avengers last battle is much more melodramatic than most would expect. He whines for nearly a week, until Steve catches him fussing over it in the mirror.

"It rather becomes you, actually."

"Is that your old man way of calling me sexy, Cap?"

Instantly, Steve is redder than a tomato. He looks so mortified, Tony almost laughs.

"I-I just meant you shouldn't fret over it so much," Steve huffs, "Don't be so vain."

He leaves, and Tony gives himself another glance before deciding Steve's right.

He _is_ sexy.

**Thief**

Considering Tony is constantly taking off without telling anyone, undermining both Steve and Fury's authority, and ignoring pretty much every direct order he ever receives, it's really not at all surprising to Steve that Tony steals his heart one day without so much as a warning.

**Return**

He snores, steals the blankets, cuddles way too close, and wakes up at all sorts of odd hours; and yet, after the hardest mission she's perhaps ever had, Clint's bed is the only place Natasha wants to be.

**Wall **

When angry, Tony Stark is an uninhibited, loud-mouthed, cocky asshole. When hurt, Tony Stark can throw up a wall so high and so impenetrable that he just closes down and walks away, and no matter how loud Steve gets or how hard he tries, he can't break through until Tony lets him.

**Layers**

Tony has a way of looking at Steve that strips away all his layers; gone is Captain America, gone are his accomplishments, gone is the nazi-fighting, alien-trumping legend. When Tony looks at him, all he sees is the scrawny, bullied, out of his league kid from another century. Just as Tony loves Steve for the boy behind the shield, Steve loves Tony for seeing him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Contradiction**

Though Tony often teases Steve about the status of his virginity ("Captain Purity Ring"), he's not sure he likes the thought of anyone but him changing it.

**Fondue**

Tony uses the word fondue once. Steve not only spits out the water he was drinking, but manages to soak Clint, who jumps about a foot in the air and clings to the overhead lamp. Tony raises an eyebrow, first at Clint's gymnastics, then at Steve. Clint drops back to the floor, muttering something about how Steve's lucky he didn't have his bow on him before slinking off, still glaring daggers at him. Steve turns bright red, but waves Tony off, claiming it just 'went down the wrong pipe, is all'. Tony, remembering the story his father told him about how 'a friend' once confused fondue and sex, decides to test his theory. That night, while the Avengers are debating what to order for dinner, Tony pipes up, "Why don't we go out to eat instead? I know Steve _loves _fondue." The resulting coughing fit and bright red face is enough of a confirmation for Tony, who grins like a fox for the rest of the night.

**Sketch**

Though he claims to only do rough little sketches every once in a while, the truth is that Steve's sketchbook is brimming with loads of art. Some of it he draws by memory, things he knows from before the ice-his Brooklyn, people he knew, even some very detailed sketches of moments in his life. More and more often, he finds himself drawing from the present-perhaps as it slowly becomes more real to him than his memories-usually one of his comrades, or scenes from their battles. Of his teammates, Tony is the one who most attracts Steve's artistic attention. Something about the man-his facial structure, maybe?-begs Steve to draw him. Though he resists a while, finding it weird and slightly embarrassing for reasons he doesn't quite understand, he eventually caves. Within a few months, his notebook is brimming with images of Tony.

**Family**

Steve loves children. He's the one who rescues Peter, the one who insists that a child as special as Peter can't just be thrown into the system. Though the others are hesitant, it's Steve who convinces them. Peter is an abandoned child with powers just like them; this is exactly where he belongs and Steve won't take no for an answer.

Steve put on his puppy dog eyes, so Tony grumpily caves and let the brat stay, but he wants absolutely nothing to do with it. Tony long ago vowed to never even attempt the whole 'parenting' gig; he was fucked up enough as it was without passing his issues along. Within a week, Tony caves and goes to comfort the baby one night when no one else seems to hear it crying. Yet, as he holds baby Peter in his arms...something changes. From that moment on, Tony was "dad" to Steve's "pop".

Thor caves instantly, and from day one absolutely adores baby Peter, mostly because he is cuddly and small and the one person who knows less about things on Midgard than he does. Of course Peter adores Thor in return, mostly because Thor overfeeds and overstimulates him from the time he's a baby until he's a kid. Once he's a teenager Thor finds it harder to coddle him, but Peter still loves the big lug, both because he's his uncle and because Thor is the easiest of his guardians to fool into letting him do what he wants.

Natasha gives in to having Peter around easily enough. She figures Steve can mother hen over him while he's a kid and she won't really have to deal with it until he's a teen or an adult, and then his powers will be a useful addition to the team. As a child Peter both admires and fears her, but it's once she begins helping him train he takes a real liking to her. They both move and fight in similar ways, and have very compatible fighting styles. By the time he's allowed to become an active Avenger member, Natasha has even developed a soft spot for the kid, something Clint teases her about to no end.

Babies make Bruce nervous. They're small and fragile enough for normal people, but Bruce has the other guy to worry about. So though he loves baby Peter as much as any of them, he never so much as touches him until he's at least up and walking. He probably wouldn't have gone near him then either, but toddler Peter loves glasses and constantly tries to grab at Bruce's. Eventually Bruce gives in and plays with Peter, but it's only later that he begins to form a real bond with Peter, once he's old enough to have a real conversation with. He especially enjoys Peter then because he is intelligent, curious and easy to talk to.

Though Peter loves all his uncles and aunt, Clint is very clearly Peter's favorite. Babies aren't so much Clint's thing, but from the moment Peter is mobile, they begin bonding. Clint loves babysitting him and constantly volunteers, even though after the first couple of times he's no longer allowed to do so without supervision. As Peter further develops his powers they become all but inseparable, due to their shared love of high places, pranks, and the many combinations of the two (such as scaring SHIELD junior agents by dropping from the ceiling and spying on other Avengers by hiding in the vents).

**Movies**

Once, Tony catches Steve in the act of drawing him. He sees Steve glance between him and his sketchpad one too many times for it to be a coincidence, and of course calls him on it.

"You drawing me, Captain?"

"What? No," Steve's furious blush betrays the truth.

"Quite a blush you got there, don't tell me you're drawing me like one of your french girls, Jack."

"What?"

"...sit your perfect ass down on that couch, it's movie time."

Tony takes Steve's cultural education very seriously.

**Time**

Since the moment he came out of the ice, any time Steve wakes up the first thing he does is check the time and date on the watch he keeps by his bedside. The moment he wakes up, he feels a dire, compulsive _need_ to know, and he's in a slight panic until he does. One night he falls asleep next to Tony on the couch in the Avengers rec room while watching a movie. When he wakes up he's still there, and he takes a brief moment to just observe Tony sleeping. It surprises him how the calm the usually gruff, sarcastic man can look. It's a peaceful, quiet moment. Then Tony wakes and they make their awkward excuses and exit the room. It's only once Steve's in the shower that he realizes; he hasn't checked the date yet, and he's not sure what that means.

**Awe**

The usual reaction to Tony's arc reactor is avoidance or discomfort; Steve is the only person who has ever looked at it with awe.

**Real**

Tony unconsciously began to like Steve more from the moment he treated JARVIS and the other various bots in Tony's home like living beings instead of objects. His rationale is that he finds it amusing, but the truth is that they're the only "friends" he's ever really had and to him they're real too.

**Piano**

Sometimes when Tony gets drunk and he thinks he's alone, he ends up playing his mother's piano. He's talented at it; his mother made sure to teach him well, and though he doesn't practice anymore, the memory is strong enough to lead his fingers in the right direction. No one knows, until one night Tony is drunk and thinks he's alone, but Steve is downstairs. He hears, and follows the sound until he finds Tony. Tony doesn't see him, but Steve sits outside the room, listening in rapture for almost an hour, and that's when Steve begins to fall for him.

**Morals**

"Why do you _do _that?" Steve spluttered, cheeks crimson as he removed Tony's hand from his rear.

"You think that's bad? Captain, you make me want to do things to you that contradict my every moral fiber as a human being. It's a good thing I'm me, or I might care," Tony winked.

It turned out, it _was _possible for Steve's face to turn redder.

**Poetry**

My suit is red,

yours is blue,

my poetry is shitty,

please love me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sweaters**

Steve has told Tony only about a hundred thousand times in the past nine years Peter has been attending school-including preschool and kindergarten-that wearing wife beaters to pick up your son from school is Not Okay. Something about inappropriate, and images to uphold, and national icons, and all those things Tony tends to ignore.

But today, as Tony is hustling out the door to go grab Pete from school, he catches sight of the sweater Steve gave him last Christmas on his workshop table. He shrugs and pulls it on over his wife beater, not thinking about much at the time other than "ooh fluffy".

So he's a bit confused when he pulls up to the curb, Peter takes one look at him, and baulks.

"C'mon Pete, hop to it," Tony calls.

"No. No, no way," Peter shakes his head quickly, eyes wide. A girl looks at him, and he quickly says, "This man is _not _my father. I have never seen him before in my life, I swear."

"One of these days someone's going to believe you," Tony just rolls his eyes.

"Good, maybe then you won't pick me up in ugly sweaters anymore!"

"_Excuse _you, your Pop got this for me for Christmas, thank you very much," Tony just huffs, not at all embarrassed.

"It's _glowing,_ Dad!"

"It's Rudolph, of course it glows."

"It's _April, _what is _wrong _with you?"

"Can I come home with you?" Wade pesters, popping up next to Pete on the curb, "Pretty please?"

"Not _now, _Wade!" Peter grumbles, so Wade turns to Tony.

"I love your sweater sir can I come home with your son?"

"Why thank you, yes you may," Tony sticks his tongue out at Peter while Wade eagerly climbs in, "See, Peter? Your friends have good taste."

"Oh my _god, _he is not my friend! Wade, get out of my car!" Peter protests, horrified, "Dad, do _not _let him come home with us!"

"Fine. Wade, you're out, Pete, you're in, it's time to roll."

"Aw!" Wade complains, but Peter's already talking again.

"There is no 'rolling' here, it is not 'time to roll', no one says that, Dad, god."

"Pop says it."

"Pop is a hundred years old!"

"I know, and he married me to keep him hip and happening," Tony winks, and Peter sinks to the curb with a groan.

"What is my life. I don't even know."

"C'mooon Pete, I have superhero things to do today," Tony complains.

"You just want to get home in time to watch that stupid show Teen Wolf show with Pop."

"Lies."

"Why couldn't I have had normal parents?"

"You got lucky, now get in the car."

"Not with you dressed like that."

"Peter, if you make me miss the opening sequence and therefore Tyler Hoechlin's abs, I swear I will pick you up next time in the Ironette costume I wore last Halloween, you _know_ I will-"

"JESUS DAD I'M IN THE CAR ALREADY JUST DRIVE."


End file.
